Belt



June 22, 1943.

W. R. PERRY BELT Filed June 21, 1941 I IT. 7.....'l l

/ 32s sa? 527 326 70 3 ggf 324 328 x 3224 c l 1NVENT0R.

33h 313 BY Mmm .3fm

Patented June 22, 1943 BELT William It. Perry, Columbus, Ind., assignor to Reeves Pulley Company, Columbus, Ohio, a corporation of Indiana Application June 21, 1941, Serial No. 399,045

(Cl. i4-236) 9 Claims.

The present invention relates to belts, and more particularly to belts of the character comprising a body member of considerable tensile strength but readily flexible both longitudinally and laterally, to which are secured a plurality of transverse stiffener blocks; and the invention pertains more particularly to the provision of an improved form of stiifener block which, because of its novel construction, not only possesses certain novel characteristics in itself, but contributes to an improvement in the operation of the belt as a whole.

The primary object of the invention, then, is to provide an improved belt of the character above described; While subsidiary objects reside in the provision of an improved stiiener block for such a belt, having advantageous characteristics which will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawing, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawing is illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific `constructions illustrated and described, so long as the sco-pe of the appended claims is not violated.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a fragment of a belt of the character above described with my improved stilener blocks associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through a preferred form of stifiener block;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modied form of stiifener block;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section showing a still further form of stiffener block; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse section through a still further form of stiffener block.

Referring more particularly to Figs. l to 3, it will be seen that I have illustrated a belt comprising a body Iii which may be made of any suitable material having considerable tensile strength, but readily liexible, particularly about transverse lines. Such a material will ordinarily be likewise flexible about longitudinal lines; and is therefore not adapted for use in yconnection with V-pull-eys, unless extraneously provided with,

lateral stifiening means. According to the present invention, such lateral stiffening means may comprise blocks II or, alternatively, blocks like those indicated by thereference numeral III in Fig. 4, or bythe reference numeral 2I I in Fig. 5, or by the reference numeraluII in Fig. 6.

In the belt section illustrated in Fig. 1, the block indicated by the reference numeral I I comprises a bar I3 made of any suitable metal, adapted to extend transversely of the belt body I 0 and integrally carrying at its opposite ends, end members I4 and I5 which, respectively, present oppositely facing surfaces I6 and I1 allochirally angularly related to a median plane perpendicular to the beam I3. Said end members I4 and I5 are respectively formed to provide portions I 8 and I9 projecting above the plane of the beam I3, and portions 2!) and 2l projecting below the plane of the beam I3. As is clearly indicated in Fig. 2, the beam I3 is located substantially midway between the upper and lower edges of the projecting portions of the end members I!! and I5.

Preferably, the block of Figs. 1 to 3 is made of a metal having a relatively low specic gravity and a relatively high thermal conductivity rate, so that the block will be as little as possible affected by centrifugal force, and will readily dissipate the heat produced in operation.

In the block of Figs. l to 3, the projections 20 and 2l are formed to provide mutually facing surfaces substantially parallel with the median plane perpendicular to the beam I3, and said surfaces are provided with grooves 22 and 23 with which cooperate tongues 24 and 25 formed at opposite ends of a clamp plate 2S adapted to be associated with the block II. 1n said form of the invention, the clamp plate 23 carries a plurality of integral metal pins 2l adapted to be projected through the belt body lil and through apertures 28 formed in the beam I3. The pins 2l will snugly fit the apertures 28, and will project to a material degree beyond the uppermost surface of the beam I3 when the plate 2S is pressed against the belt body II) to clamp or grip said body against the lower surface of the beam I3; and after the plate 26 has been so associated with the belt body and beam I3, the pins 2l may be headed or riveted over, as at 29, by a single stroke of a press, to clamp the block as a whole in place upon the belt body I0.

It is of importance that the ends of the plate 26 shall cooperate with surfaces formed upon the projections 2U and 2| in such a manner as to permit the transmission of driving forces between said plate and said projections, independently of the securing pins 2l. In the form of block illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the grooves 22 and 23 result in the production of surfaces angularly related to a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the beam I3 and located in the median plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said beam. Specifically, the said surfaces formed by the grooves 22 and 23 are perpendicular to such a line and to the axis of the beam I3; but the criterion is that the said surfaces shall be so related to the direction of movement of the belt that driving forces impressed upon the plate 26 through the belt may be transmitted to the end members I4 and I5 independently of the pins 21; and that driving forces impressed upon the surfaces I6 and |1 may be transmitted to the plate 2e independently of the pins 21.

It will be seen that the projections I8, I9, 2li, and 2| form, with the beam I3, two oppositely facing sockets, the lower one of which is open in the direction of belt movement, but the upper one of which is completely bounded by the projections I8 and I9 and the walls 3d, said projections and walls cooperating to produce a heat dissipating n.

Of course, friction material (not shown) will be suitably bonded to the surfaces i and Il, to provide a suitable working surface for cooperation with the angularly related surfaces of a V- pulley with which the belt is to be used.

If desired, the organization of Figs. 1 to 3 may be formed of material other than metal, so long as the projecting ends of the pins 21 are, at the time of assembly, sufficiently malleable to permit the riveting operation above described. For instance, all of the parts of the block of Figs. l to y3 except the pins 21 might be formed of suitable plastic, While the pins might be made of metal suitably secured in place in the plastic plate 26. Alternatively, the pins 21, as wel-l, may be formed of suitable plastic material; and they may be integral with either the plate 26 or the beam I3. In assembly, the projecting ends of such plastic pins may be suiliciently softened by local application of heat to permit the riveting operation. Asa still further alternative, the projecting heads of plastic pins 21 might be surrounded, during the assembly operation, with a suitable fluent adhesive material of such a character as to harden in a relatively short time to non-fluent condition.

In Fig. 4, I have illustrated a somewhat modified form of -construction, in which the block I I I consists of the beam IIS integrally carrying end members I'Il and ||5 providing surfaces IIS and I|1 identical with the surfaces I6 and I1, and having 'projections 'I I8, IIS, IZB, and I2I like the projections I8, I9, 2U, and 2|. As in the structure of Figs 1 to`3, the projections ILi and |2| are formed with grooves |22 and E23 for the reception of tongues |24 and |25 on a clamp plate |26. In `place of the pins 21 integral with the clamp plate 2B, however, I provide in Fig. 4 a plurality 'of screws |21 snugly passing through apertures '|28 formed inthe bar I3 and, threaded into tapped holes I2S formed in the plate |25. Obviously, the screws I21 may be turned up to pull the plate |26 into position to clamp the belt body I0 between saidplate and the beam I I3. In al1 other respects, the block III corresponds to the block II of Fig. 2. The block III is formed with walls A|3I corresponding to walls .iii of the block II.

The block 2| I of Fig. 5 is made of plastic niaterial, and comprises abeam 2HE carrying end members, only one of which, 2I5, is shown in the drawing. An Aangular working surface 2 'l is provided by said'end member 2id, which has upward extension 2I-9 and downward lextension 22|. The -latter extension or projection is for-med with a groove '223 with which cooperates assenso a tongue 225 at one end of a clamp plate 223 which is preferably, though not necessarily, formed of metal, as shown. The beam 2I3 is provided with apertures 228 for the reception of screws 221 which are threaded into tapped holes 229 in the plate 226; and preferably, though not necessarily, a metal reinforcing plate 23| is interposed between the heads of the screws 221 and the plastic beam 2| 3. I prefer to form the block 2|I with walls 23|] corresponding to the walls 3i) of the block II.

An alternative form of block SII is shown in Fig. 6. In this form of block, the beam 3|3 is disposed somewhat below the midpoint of the end members 3M and SI5. Said end members provide allochirally angularly related working surfaces 3|6 and 3|1, and are formed with upward projections 3|8 and 3m and downward projections 320 and 32|; Grooves 322 and 323 are formed, in this form of block, in the adjacent surfaces of the upward projections 3| 8 and SIS, respectively, but cooperate similarly with tongues 324 and 325 formed on opposite ends of a clamp plate 326. Screws 321 take through apertures 328 in the clamp plate 326 and, extending through the belt I I), engage in threaded holes 329 in the beam SIB. In this form of the invention, the lower socket, rather than the upper socket, is bounded by walls 33|) corresponding to the walls 33 of Fig. 2.

I claim as my invention:

1. A belt comprising a body strand of material of high tensile strength but readily flexible both longitudinally and laterally, and a plurality of longitudinally-spaced, transversely rigid stiifener blocks secured to said body, each of said blocks comprising a transverse beam integrally carrying members at its opposite ends formed to present oppositely facing surfaces allochirally angularly related to a plane perpendicular to said beam, and one surface of said beam lying in parallelism with a surface of said belt body, a clamp plate lying in parallelism with the opposite surface of said belt body, means clamping said plate and ybeam together to grip said belt body, said faces projecting materially above and below said belt body and said clamp plate, and cooperating means on said plate and said end members for transmitting forces longitudinally of said belt body between said plate and said end members.

2. A transverse stiifener block for belts comprising a transverse beam integrally carrying members at its opposite ends formed to present oppositely facing surfaces allochirally angularly related to a plane perpendicular to said beam, said faces projecting above and below the median plane of said beam, a'clamp plate, and means for securing said plate in cooperative relation with one surface of said beam between said end members and nearer tok said beam than to the adjacent ends ofsaid projecting faces, said plate and end members being provided with cooperating means for transmitting forces therebetween independent of Vsaid securing means.

3. A transverse stiffener block for belts comprising a transverse beam integrally carrying members at its opposite ends formed to present oppositely 'facing surfaces allochirally angularly related to a plane perpendicular to said beam, said faces projecting above and below the median plane of said beam, the projections of said end members in one direction presenting mutually facing surfaces parallel with said first-named plane, aclampplate, means for securing said plate in cooperativerelation with one surface of said beam between said end members, and cooperating means on said plate and on said parallel surfaces for transmitting forces between said end members and said plate independent of said securing means.

4. A transverse stifiener block for belts comprising a transverse beam integrally carrying members at its opposite ends presenting oppositely facing surfaces allochirally angularly related to a median plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said beam and projecting above and below the median axial plane of said beam, the projections of said end members in one direction from said beam presenting mutually facing surfaces parallel with said rst-named plane, a groove formed in each of said last-named surfaces and opening through the outer end thereof, a clamp plate received between said last-named projections and provided with means slidably enterable in said grooves to transmit forces between said end members and said plate in the direction of said line, and means independent of said lastnamed means for securing said plate to said beam.

5. A transverse stiffener block for belts comprising a transverse beam integrally carrying members at its opposite ends presenting oppositely facing surfaces allochirally angularly related to a median plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said beam and projecting. above and below the median axial plane of said beam, a clamp plate receivable between those projections of said end members which are closer to said first-named plane, means for securing said clamp plate to said beam, and a tongue and groove connection between each end of said plate and the adjacent end member projection.

6. A transverse stiffener block for belts comprising a transverse beam integrally carrying members at its opposite ends presenting oppositely facing surfaces allochirally angularly related to a median plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said beam and projecting above and below the median axial plane of said beam, said beam being formed with a plurality of apertures therethrough, a clamp plate receivable between projections of said end members in one direction, a plurality of pins integrally carried by said plate and projected through said apertures, said pins being headed over on the opposite side of said beam to secure said plate in position, and cooperating means on said beam and at the extremities of said plate for transmitting forces between said beam and plate in the direction of travel of said belt.

'7. A transverse stiffener block for belts comprising a transverse beam integrally carrying members at its opposite ends presenting opposite- Y ly facing surfaces allochirally angularly related to a median plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said beam and projecting above and below the median axial plane of said beam, said beam being formed with a plurality of apertures therethrough, a metal clamp plate receivable between projections of said end members in one direction, and a plurality of metal pins integrally carried by said plate and projected through said apertures, said pins being riveted over on the opposite side of said beam to secure said plate in position, the ends of said beam and said projections being formed with cooperating, force-transmitting portions.

8. A transverse stiffener block for belts comprising a transverse beam integrally carrying 4members at its opposite ends presenting oppositely facing surfaces allochirally angularly related to a median plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said beam and projecting above and below the median axial plane of said beam, said beam being formed with a plurality of apertures therethrough, a clamp plate receivable between projections of said end members in one direction, and a plurality of metal pins carried by said plate and projected through said apertures, said pins being riveted over on the opposite side of said beam to secure said plate in position, the ends of said beam and said projections being formed with cooperating, force-transmitting portions.

9. A transverse stiifener block for belts comprising a transverse metal beam integrally carrying members at its opposite ends presenting oppositely facing surfaces allochirally angularly related to a median plane perpendicular to the 1ongitudinal axis of said beam and projecting above and below the longitudinal axis of said beam, said projections forming with said beam two oppositely opening sockets, one of said sockets being adapted to receive a section of a belt body, a clamping plate received in said one socket, means for securing said plate in said socket to grip said belt section, and the other of said sockets being at least as deep as said one socket and being completely bounded by a strengthening and heat-dissipating metal fin.

WILLIAM R. PERRY. 

